Fastener.



PATENTED MAY 30, 1905.

1?. LETTRE.

PASTENER.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19, 1904.

INVINZ'DE I WI nn-555:5

UNITED. STATES Patented May 30,1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

FASTENER. I I

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 791,198, dated May 30, 1905.

Application filed September 19, 1904. Serial No. 224,971-

To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, PHILIPP H. LETTRIt, a citizen of the United States, residing at Attleboro Falls, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has reference to an improvement in fasteners, and more particularly to an improvement in fasteners used for temporarily securing the covers of boxes or similar articles for mailing purposes.

The object of my invention is to firmly secure a fastener for this purpose to the article to which it is attached without first forming holes in the article for the fastener.

A further object of my invention is to simplify the operation of securing fasteners to mailing-boxes or similar articles.

My invention consists in the peculiar and novel construction of a fastener for securing the covers-of boxes or similar articles, said fasteners being stamped from thin sheet metal and shaped to have a flat body portion from which extends a flexible tongue, a fiap bent at an angle to the body portion, and points adapted to pierce the article to which the fastener is secured and to secure the fastener by bending the points over the flap, with the article between the body portion and the flap of the fastener, with other details of construction, as will be more fully set forth hereinafter.

Figure 1 is a perspective View of a mailingbox provided with my improved fasteners and showing the box in the open position. Fig. 2 is a face view of the blank from which the fastener is formed. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the fastener formed from the blank shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a face view of a blank from which a modified form of fastener is formed, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a modified form of fastener formed from the blank shown in Fig. 4.

In the drawings, a indicates a mailing-box, and I; my improved fastener. The box a is constructed in the usual way from pasteboard or similar material to form the bottom a, the sides a of, the ends a a and the cover having the lip a as shown in Fig. 1.

In constructing my improved fastener I first stamp the blank from thin sheet metal, as shown in Fig. 2. This blank is shaped to have the flat body portion Z), the tongue 6 the points 6 I1 the flap Z), out of which the tongue 6 is cut, the teats 72 b on the end of the flap, and the central notches b b in the edges of the blank. The flap 7) is now bent on a line with the notches 7) 6 toward the .body portion 5, the notches assisting in the bending of the flap, and the points 5 b bent at right angles toward the flap, leaving sufficient space between the flap and the points for the insertion of the ends a a of the box.

The blank has now assumed the shape shown in Fig. 3 and is ready to be secured to the box.

In the operation of securing my improved fastener to the box a the end a of the box is inserted between the points 6 b and the flap b, the bend at the notches 6 6 resting on the edge of the box, with the body portion b of the fastener on the outside of the box. The points 6 I)? on the fastener are now forced through the end of the box, the flap b pressed against the inside of the box, and the points bent over the flap, as shown in Fig. 1. The

teats 6 b on the flap guide and hold the points from slipping off the flap under strain when the fastener is secured. The cover a may now be removably secured to the box by forcing the end of the tongue 6 through the cover andbending the tongue over the cover.

Inthe modified form of fastener as shown in Figs. 4 and 5 I use only one point 1):, which extends centrally from the body portion 6 and in the secured position through the aperture b in the flap If, where it is bent over the flap. This modified form of fastener may be used on small or light-weight mailing-boxes. In the use of my improved fasteners any number may be used for securing the cover to the box. In practice I find that one at each end of the box, as shown in Fig. 1, is usually sufiicient.

It is evident that my improved fastener could be supplied to the trade either in the blank or bent-up form without materially afa body portion provided With securing means for piercing a Wall of the receptacle, a flap integral With said body portion and provided With means cooperating With said piercing means whereby the flap is held to the Wall opposite the body portion and the fastener securely retained in place, and a tongue forengaging the closure of the receptacle integral With the body portion and cut from the interior of the flap.

2. A'fastener for receptacles, consisting of a body portion provided With points at one end for piercing a Wall of a receptacle, a flap extending from the other end of the body portion and provided With teats which engage With the points when the latter are bent over upon the flap to hold it against the wall, and a tongue for holding the closure of the receptacle in place, said tongue being integral with the body portion and cut from the material of the flap.

PH IL1 Pl H. LET'ITRE.

Witnesses:

ADA E. HAGERTY, J. A. MILLER, Jr. 

